1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides RFID device comprising a network of radio frequency identification (RFID) transceivers and antenna elements in different numbers, in various network sizes, in different configurations and on various substrates, a method for making the same and a method of using the RFID devices.
2. Description of Related Art
A radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceiver is a device that includes RF (radio frequency) circuits, control logic and memory, plus an antenna, all mounted on a supporting substrate. It receives an electronic signal, generates a response signal, and then transmits the response signal. RFID transceivers have been used to locate, identify and track merchandise palettes, shipping containers on a palette or individual items within a container, on a retailer shelf or in use by an end user. There are active and passive RFID transceivers. Active RFID requires a battery. A passive RFID draws its energy and transfers information in the form of low power radio waves resulting from illumination of the RFID reader.
RFID devices on flexible organic substrates with a typical overall thickness of about 1.5 mils are known and allow for applications of RFID technology. By giving RFID devices additional intelligence, they can be used to provide state information whenever probed by the RFID reader.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,303,958; 6,511,877; 6,424,263; 6,496,113; 6,164,551; 6,220,516, 6,325,294; 6,375,780 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,315, semiconductor devices that simply have low cost RFID functionality through the benefit of integrated circuitry are described. U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,315 uses an antenna on top of the RFID IC with an insulating layer between the IC and antenna with a connection on top of the IC. Implementation of the antenna on the integrated circuit provides an RFID transceiver that is small in size, physically rugged, and relatively inexpensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,885 describes packaging for RFID semiconductor devices that allows for an ultra-thin height.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,285,342; 6,646,328; 6,107,920; 6,215,402; 6,268,796; 6,259,408; and 6,278,413 describe antennas that can effectively be used with RFID semiconductor devices.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,112,940, 6,135,291 and 6,695,571 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,971 describe tracking and sorting of semiconductor devices by using separate RFID devices associated with the wafer and the sorting bins.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,828,753 and 6,209,098 describe two integrated circuit chips with cryptographic engines used solely to encrypt outgoing information being output across the interconnect or to decrypt incoming information received from the interconnect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,690 describes access protection in an integrated circuit whereby access protection circuitry includes access attribute bits which are compared to the access attributes of a memory request. U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,225 discloses a validity circuit that is used with an analog circuit in a mixed signal system to determine whether the supply voltage is at an adequate voltage level to assure stable operation of the analog circuit. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,452,411 and 6,559,671 disclose a system for testing integrated circuit devices in which a tester communicates with a known good device through a channel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,496 relates to security protection within an integrated circuit design and pertains particularly to integration of security modules on an integrated circuit so that operations cannot be probed or altered. U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,180 describes a method and system for testing interconnected integrated circuits. U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,832 pertains to an authentication chip protected from unauthorized modification by storing data in intermediate states of the multi-level flash memory between the minimum and maximum voltage level states. U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,115 describes a monolithic integrated circuit with dual public key cryptographic protected central processing units in a computing device. U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,317 relates to the validation of integrated circuit designs in which part of the design is obscured to maintain its confidentiality.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,890 describes a method to wirelessly authenticate laptops to prevent unauthorized users from being able to use the laptops. Also, many current car radios are disabled when removed from vehicles (i.e., the power supply) until the proper code is entered, to deter theft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,229 describes packaging tapes with RFID devices in the tape to facilitate the use of the RFIDs to seal cartons or envelopes that are to be shipped or stored. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,429,831 and 6,262,692 describe making a laminated article for use as an RFID label to place on cartons or envelopes that are to be shipped or stored. U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,146 describes processes and apparatus for manufacturing radio frequency transponders having substrates formed from a flexible tape or film. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,831,531, 5,646,592 and 5,406,263 describe a simple trip-wire or magnetic circuit associated with a shipping container that provides continuity, which, if disabled by a forced entry of the container, an RFID tag would alert the owner or monitoring station. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,727,817 and 6,262,664 describe the tamper detection and the prevention of separating a key (or other object) from its ID card, such as an RF tag or other circuitry for storing and transmitting an ID to a controller. The key and the ID card are connected by a tether. When the tether is cut, transmission of an ID code can no longer pass through the tether. U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,727 describes a way to capacitively power a radio frequency identification device.
The above-described patents concern using semiconductor and laminate technology to implement the RFID, antennas to be used with the RFID integrated circuits, putting RFID devices into tapes and labels, tracking and sorting semiconductors using separate RFID devices or non-RFID circuit methods of verifying the correctness, reliability, functionality and trustworthiness of integrated circuits, or providing a means to protect an IC or enclosure from reverse engineering, using single RFID devices to broadcast the unwanted separation or opening of objects. As discussed above, although some of these patents describe methods that can reduce the cost and size and ease of use of the RFID, it is desirable to provide further cost and size reduction for widespread deployment of RFIDs.